Press release

Doha, Qatar, October 10, 2011 – KS Jastrzebski Wegiel (2-0), Sesi Sao Paulo (2-0) and Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver (1-1) secured victories on the third day of the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

Day four of the FIVB Volleyball Club World Championships resumes at 14:00 GMT with Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel playing Canada’s Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver (1-1), followed by Italy’s Trentino Diatec Trento (1-0) challenging hosts Al-Arabi Doha (1-1) at 16:00.

KS Jastrzebski Wegiel 3, Zenit Kazan 2
Poland’s Jastrzebski Wegiel remained undefeated in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship with a 25-22, 25-17, 11-25, 21-25, 19-17 victory over Russia’s Zenit Kazan on Monday evening.

Jastrzebski Wegiel improved to 2-0 in Pool A and will conclude the group against Canada’s Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver (1-1) on Tuesday. Zenit Kazan ends Pool A with a 2-1 record and qualifies for the semifinals with seven points. The top two teams in each of the four-team pools advance to the semifinal round that starts on October 13.

Jastrzebski Wegiel was led by Michal Lasko’s 24 points, while teammate Zbigniew Bartman and Michal Kubiak chipped in 13 points. Maxim Mikhaylov scored 27 points to pace Zenit Kazan, while William Priddy contributed 15 points. Jastrzebski Wegiel held a 14-13 margin in blocks and a 4-2 edge in service aces.

“Obviously we are very happy that we've won,” Jastrzebski Wegiel captain Bartman said. ”It was an interesting game and gave us a clear view on our play and our form. The first two sets we won quite easy, after which the game really started.”

“The first two sets weren't our game at all,” Zenit Kazan captain Alexander Volkov said. “We started to play in the third set, which led to winning two sets in a row. Unfortunately it wasn't enough.”

Sesi Sao Paulo 3, Al-Ahly Cairo 1
Brazil’s Sesi Sao Paulo posted a 25-18, 27-25, 18-25, 25-14 victory over Egypt’s Al-Ahly Cairo in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship to improve to 2-0 in Pool B. Al-Ahly Cairo ends their campaign with a 0-3 record and one point in the standings.

Sesi Sao Paulo finishes the tournament on Oct. 12 with a highly anticipated match against Italy’s Trentino Diatec Trento, who is attempting to win the event for the third year in a row. In the process, Sesi Sao Paulo has qualified for the semifinals regardless of the meeting with Trentino (1-0), which plays host Al-Arabi Doha (1-1) on Tuesday before taking on Sesi Sao Paulo. Al-Ahly Cairo conclude the tournament with an 0-3 record and one point in Pool B.

Wallace Martins paced Sesi Sao Paulo with 17 points, while captain Murilo Endre contributed 14 points. Al-Ahly Cairo was led by Ahmed Abdelhay’s 19 points, followed by Ahmed Mohamed’s 15 points. Sesi Sao Paulo tallied a 12-5 block advantage and a slim 5-4 margin in aces.

Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver 3, Paykan Tehran 2
Canada’s Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver scored 27 blocks and rallied to dispose of Paykan 25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 25-18, 15-6 and seal their first win of the tournament.

Rudy Verhoeff paced Trinity Western with 26 points, while Steve Marshall added 15 points. Philippe Barca-Cysique led Paykan with 17 points, while Vali Nourmohammadi contributed 13 points. Trinity Western held a 27-7 block advantage in the match, while both teams had five service aces. Offsetting their block advantage, Trinity Western committed 34 errors to Paykan’s 18.

“Our block definitely made the difference,” Trinity Western coach Ben Josephson said. “Our hands were in the right spot. Later in the game they neutralised our blocks, but after some changes we we're able to win this match after all.”

“I feel like I didn't lose the game on court, because I already lost this game during our training and warm-up,” Paykan Tehran coach Peyman Akbari said. “All because of my team's mentality. They didn't fight hard enough, maybe because they think these games are too easy for them.”

FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship Highlights

Top Scorers by Day
October 8: 30 – Christan Pampel (Al-Arabi Doha) vs. Al-Ahly Cairo
October 9: 18 – Ahmed Mohamed (Al-Ahly Cairo) vs. Trentino Diatec Trento
October 10: 27 – Maxim Mikyahlov (Zenit Kazan) vs. KS Jastrzebski Wegiel

Top Scoring Performances
30 – Christian Pampel (Al-Arabi Doha) vs. Al-Ahly Cairo on Oct. 8
27 – Maxim Mikyahlov (Zenit Kazan) vs. KS Jastrzebski Wegiel on Oct. 10
26 – Ahmed Abdelhay (Al-Ahly Cairo) vs. Al-Arabi Doha on Oct. 8
26 – Rudy Verhoeff (Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver) vs. Paykan Tehran on Oct. 10

Top Blocking Performances
7 – Mohamed Ketat (Al-Ahly Cairo) vs. Al-Arabi Doha on Oct. 8
7 – Daniel Jansen van Doorn (Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver) vs. Paykan Tehran on Oct. 10
7 – Lucas Van Berkel (Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver) vs. Paykan Tehran on Oct. 10
6 – Lukasz Kadziewicz (Al-Arabi Doha) vs. Al-Ahly Cairo on Oct. 8
6 – Lukasz Kadziewicz (Al-Arabi Doha) vs. Sesi Sao Paulo on Oct. 9

Top Service Ace Performances
5 – Nikolay Apalikov (Zenit Kazan) vs. Trinity Western Vancouver on Oct. 8
3 – Maxim Mikhaylov (Zenit Kazan) vs. Trinity Western Vancouver on Oct. 8

Highest Set Score
31-19 – Al-Ahly Cairo def. Al-Arabi Doha on Oct. 8 (set 2)
27-25 – Sesi Sao Paulo def. Al-Ahly Cairo on Oct. 10 (set 2)
26-24 – Al-Arabi Doha def. Al-Ahly Cairo on Oct. 8 (set 3)
26-24 – Zenit Kazan def. Paykan Tehran on Oct. 9 (set 1)

Highest Scoring Matches
231 – Al-Arabi Doha def. Al-Ahly Cairo 25-23, 29-31, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12 on Oct. 8
207 – KS Jastrzebski Wegiel def. Zenit Kazan 25-22, 25-17, 11-25, 21-25, 19-17 on Oct. 10
197 – Trinity Western Spartans Vancouver def. Paykan Tehran 25-23, 18-25, 17-25, 25-18, 15-6 on Oct. 10
177 – Sesi Sao Paulo def. Al-Ahly Cairo 25-18, 27-25, 18-25, 25-14